Afterglow: Suns Links and Musings 03/01/11

Speaking of defensive improvement, the Suns are up to No. 24 after pulling up the rear early this season. Can it get any better? Phoenix is in position to make the playoffs with a solid run to end the season; the defense has to be passable, at least, to get it done.

An interesting game blog by Russ Bengtson on Slam Online.. good read if you didn't see the game, or if you want to relive it through this dude's eyes.

"As Suns coach Alvin Gentry spoke quietly to the media afterward, I wrote down "LOSER QUOTES" in my notebook, because that’s exactly what they sounded like — "We’ve got to do a much better job down the stretch executing," and "Hopefully we’ll learn from this and grow from it." I didn’t go to the other side to hear what Avery said."

The reason for the prediction that Brooks is the more likely candidate to shoot better for the rest of the season is simple. His shooting performances in his 34 games with the Rockets before being traded to the Suns were very uncharacteristic of him and unlike his shooting in any other season.

With Vince Carter (who did play during crunch time in New Jersey) typically riding the pine late in games and Jared Dudley working for long stretches, Brooks can come in handy playing alongside Nash. Right, he's a relative gnome compared to most point guards, and having both of these guys in the game creates ugly defensive mismatches.